Tips and Tricks from the Professionals
Salad
Mexico’s “mouse melon” is actually a tiny cucumber. Cucamelons are grape-sized fruits that look like Lilliputian watermelons but taste like cucumbers. They are native to Mexico and Central America, where they go by nicknames such as sandita (“little watermelon”) or sandía ratón (“mouse melon”). They look so much like watermelons that unscrupulous seed-mongers often sell them as actual tiny …
The popular belief that tearing lettuce stops its edges browning is based on the theory that it damages fewer cells and limits oxidisation. There’s nothing, however, to prove it’s any less destructive than cutting the leaves with a knife. Both will turn brown at the same rate.
Cucumbers should be stored at room temperature – not in the refrigerator. We knew this about tomatoes, but cucumbers, too? Root Simple cites the University of California, Davis study, which determined that cucumbers are sensitive to temperatures below 50°F and may develop “chilling injuries” including water-soaked areas, pitting, and accelerated decay. If you must refrigerate …
Salvage wilted produce: Drop your aging produce into ice water before cooking. Plants wilt due to water loss; ice water penetrates their cells to restore crispness. Noreen
The best way to store fresh celery is to wrap it in aluminium foil and put it in the refrigerator it will keep for weeks.
Cucumbers should be stored at room temperature – not in the refrigerator. We knew this about tomatoes, but cucumbers, too? The University of California, Davis, determined that cucumbers are sensitive to temperatures below 50°F and may develop “chilling injuries” including water-soaked areas, pitting, and accelerated decay. If you must refrigerate your cucumbers, limit it to 1-3 …
You can do this for any soft vegetable, such as asparagus and peas, as long as it doesn’t require too much water or a long cooking time (so, no potatoes in lettuce, unfortunately). This technique, from 19th-century French cookbook Cuisine Bourgeoise, avoids problems such as the vegetables losing water or flavour when you boil, bake …
Soak raw onions in water before using (raw – in salads). This removes the sulfates.
When adding dressing to salad, drizzle it around the outside of the bowl, not on the leaves, then hand-mix. This prevents the bulk of the dressing from getting stuck on a few leaves.
Use a coarse Microplane to shave vegetables into salads or vinaigrettes. You can create an orange-fennel dressing by adding grated fennel and orange zest to a simple vinaigrette.Paul Kahan – Avec, Big Star, Blackbird and The Publican, Chicago
For rich, creamy dressings made healthy, substitute half the mayonnaise with Greek-style yoghurt.Ellie Krieger – Healthy Appetite with Ellie Krieger
Clean and wash lettuce as usual. Cut into the regular size you use. Put into plastic bag and vacuum seal it. Refrigerate up to 1 week or even longer if your lettuce started out very fresh.
Don’t dress the salad when having a big party. Leave it on the side and let the people do it themselves. I’ve had too many soggy salads because of this.Marc Forgione – Iron Chef America
If you wrap your celery in tin foil before placing it in the fridge it will last for weeks, and it will still be fresh and crisp when you pull it out! This also works for stored broccoli for 7 weeks wrapped in tin foil, and heads of lettuce for at least 6 weeks!!!